N I S E K O

Mythical Powder and Yoga Retreat

with Emily Longfellow and Kate Howe

Yoga, Pow, Adventure, Onsen, Climb Mt. Yotei, it's all here.

Niseko is internationally acclaimed as the worlds leading destination for quality and consistency of powder snow, and has become everyone's go to experience.

Join yoga instructor Emily Longfellow and PSIA-RM Examiner and Aspen trainer Kate Howe on this very special trip. We will be touring out gates, skiing in the back country, climbing Mt. Yotei and skiing down if weather permits. If you aren't quite ready for big guns powder, do not worry, we have an instructor for you, and you can ski in bounds with a guide, learning to find and manage pow stashes all over the mountains.

Stay in a beautiful private home, enjoy the amazing local night life, enjoy ski touring to onsen! At the end of the trip, join us for an additional two days in Tokyo where we will visit with a family friend of Kate's whose family has been hand making mulberry paper for generations. See the art exhibit and have tea at the top of Mori tower, travel to Ripongi station for gawking and shopping.

Our eighth year in Japan!

Kate has been traveling to Japan for skiing for years. We stay in a beautiful home, wake up every morning and drive to where the snow is deepest. Experience skiing to a back country onsen, climbing Mt. Yotei, night skiing the trees of Niseko Grand Hirafu and so much more...

We hire local guides for all back country adventures, and because we've been skiing Japan for years, we have lots of friends in the area! Get ready for a great time at a GREAT price!

Fortunate enough to be the seventh person and the first woman ever to heli ski in Hokkaido, Kate has traveled with almost every outfitter and numerous guides all over the region. On this trip, we will explore every option open to the group as long as weather, availability and skill level permits! Push yourself, you will be amazed at what you can experience in Japan.

What's it like to ski in Japan?

Here's the trailer for Patagonia's 2009 film Signatures. It captures the experience of skiing Japan beautifully!

The Place

Frequently referred to as a ‘winter wonderland’, Niseko’s unique location makes it a “must-see, must-ski” hotspot for winter sports enthusiasts. The weather patterns that form over west Hokkaido and the Sea of Japan cause snow to fall regularly in this region and that is why this area has some of the island’s highest snowfall.

The numerous ski runs - over 48 km in total - can accommodate skiers of any level, from beginner to professional. With wide open runs, gladed areas, groomed and off-piste slopes, not to mention the adventure of the backcountry - Niseko has something for everyone.

Shika

Shika is beautifully designed and furnished with stunning views of Mount Yotei and the Niseko United skiing and snowboarding area. This luxurious self-contained house is perfect for winter or summer stays and just minutes to the Niseko slopes, a short walk to local restaurants/bars of Hirafu and is convenient for local golf courses and some of Japans best onsen.Shika is beautifully designed and furnished with stunning views of Mount Yotei and the Niseko United skiing and snowboarding area. With a vaulted living area with cozy stone fireplace, separate media room, a gourmet kitchen, state of the art music and entertainment systems, good collection of games and books.

"Catapult your skiing and riding to the next level with Kate!" - Alan Wagner

If you love to ski fluffy champagne powder, if you love incredible mountain vistas that will blow you away, if you want to take catapult your skiing or snowboarding to the next level then joining Kate Howe is a must. Kate is a master ski instructor who always puts the needs of the client first and always creates a joyful atmosphere.

Kate has an incredible knack to zero in on exactly what each of us joining her group needs to immediately improve their skiing and skiing experience. She explains the optimal cutting-edge technique in a way that is easily understood and easily implemented.

I have had the opportunity to work with a lot of ski pros and have found Kate to be one of the very best.

-Alan Wagner

FAQ: Instruction in Pow, Skiing New (Big Kid) Terrain

What about slowing down the group? Isn’t instruction a lot of talking? Good question! We like to ski when we are on the snow, not talk. Kate has been coaching powder skiing in both Heli and Cat operations for a decade, and trust us, she likes to rip the pow rather than talk about it.

Tech talk and most instruction comes in short focused bursts to get you skiing and riding with confidence quickly. Kate will give you a focus at the top of your run, and a review at the bottom. Not every run will have instruction or tips, instruction is tailored to what YOU want to get out of this trip!

In the afternoons, video review and tech questions will help continue to clear up technical foundations, enabling you to ski with more ease and less frustration or fear on the next run.

I’m not good with tech stuff. It’s not the complicated, is it? No, actually, it’s not. Kate and all her coaches make it a point to be concise, clear and specific, and to teach you in the way you most want to be taught.

I’m a good skier, I don’t need basic foundation stuff. GREAT! Let's make you even better. Lots of time, the better you are at skiing, the more a deeper understanding and practice of fundamental skills makes you and even better skier! All athletes have coaches. Don’t cheat yourself out of an opportunity to enjoy the sport you love even more!

What's Included?

Kate’s camp is all-inclusive:

Transfers from Sapporo Airport to NisekoAccommodations in NisekoBreakfast at the house every day Welcome dinner and Farewell dinner Lift tickets for the 16-21 Early morning yoga and meditation to get you focused, loose and ready On snow quick tips, apres ski beer and tech talk, and video analysis of your skiing or riding.

Meet the Coaches: Kate Howe - Ski

Kate believes anything you love to do is more fun when you are good at it. Kate is a huge proponent of pushing your boundaries... but believes that you are moving the boundaries yourself through skill aquisition. Rather than just being more ok with feeling more scared and more out of controll as you test yourself on steeper and more technical terrain, Kate belives strongly in bringing skill set up, giving you a solid foundation that you know you can trust so you can truly rip with a sense of freedom, compitence and joy in terrain you could only dream about previously.

Kate is an examiner for PSIA-RM, a trainer for the Ski and Snowboard Schools of Aspen/Snowmass, a WFR, holds an AIARE Avalanche Cert 2 among other numerous qualifications. She is also a certified Yoga instructor and worked as the assistant to Saraswathi Jois (Ashtanga, Mysore, India), as well as a certified Massage Therapist who specializes in neck, back, and shoulder pain, manual therapies for sports excellence, and asian therapies.

Emily Longfellow - Yoga

Emily has been teaching yoga for over 20 years. The founder of Vimana yoga, Emily brings an incredible sense of joy and play to her yoga practice, and inspires yogis of all shapes, sizes, and experiences. A former world champion of competitive yoga, Emily now teaches and practices therapeutic yoga and bodywork for everyone. Working one on one with Emily for a week in Japan is not to be missed!

WHAT WILL YOUR TRIP LOOK LIKE?

DAY 1

Arrive at Sapporo airport before 2:00 PM local time. Airport transfers available between 9:00 am and 2:00 PM. Leave for Niseko at 2:00 PM.

DAY 10, 11 - Optional

Optional day in Tokyo exploring, seeing the art museum at the top of Mori Tower, watching Sumo practice.

Japan’s capital city, with its mixture of traditional and modern urban life, is the most popular tourist destination in the country. Sensoji Temple is one of its iconic historical sites, and the Imperial Palace provides a traditional and royal air. Furthermore, the city’s Ginza, the equivalent of New York’s Madison Avenue, is world famous, as is the Harajuku Japanese-teen street fashion that influences the international fashion industry. While you’ll find plenty of authentic Japanese dining in Tokyo, you’ll also find top-quality international restaurants as well, since Tokyoites have a discriminating palate for top quality international cuisines such as Italian, Chinese, French, etc. Sushi restaurants are plentiful in the outer market of the famous Tsukiji Fishmarket.

The Logistics

Inclusions: Transfers from Sapporo Airport to NisekoAccommodations in NisekoBreakfast at the house dailyWelcome DinnerFarewell DinnerLift Tickets, 6-Day Pass Early morning yoga and meditation On snow quick tips, apres ski beer and tech talkVideo analysis of your skiing or ridingLocal guides for all black country adventures

Policies

$2,700.00 refundable deposit is required to secure your spot. Because of the special nature of this trip, the balance of trip cost due 90 days prior to departure and will be non-refundable unless we can find a replacement person to fill your seat.

Trips are absolutely non-refundable 60 days prior to departure for any reason.